India Holds Sway Over the Maldives for Now but Not Forever, Says Scholar

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu (C) gestures as he leaves after his inauguration ceremony in Male on November 17, 2023. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

The Maldives will remain under the political influence of India for the time being, but eventually, it will fall under the sway of China, according to Chinese scholar Zhu Fangfang, director of the Dhivehi Language Program at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Zhu published a commentary on the Chinese website of Global Times, the Communist Party-run tabloid, discussing the ongoing diplomatic shift in the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Zhu’s piece ends with a prediction of how the political sands are inexorably going to shift in China’s favor over time.

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by Barry van Wyk

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